A Secret Government Agency in Stephen Kings Firestarter

Many of Stephen King’s stories involve characters with powers and governments that withhold secrets from the public; Firestarter is a prime example of this sub genre. King wrote Firestarter in 1980, during a period of social change regarding women’s equality and the beginning of third-wave feminism. King’s use of setting, characters, and imagery connect the plot to the themes surrounding concerns of that time. The story in this book focuses on Andy McGee and his daughter Charlie, and the the secret government agency trying to track them down. â€Å"The Shop† as they call it performed experiments on many students that eventually caused slight psychological powers such as telekinesis in those that took a drug called Lot 6. Both Andy and his eventual wife participated in this experiment and developed powers that had multiple limitations. However, when they had Charlie, both The Shop and her parents saw that she had a pyrokinetic ability with no distinguishable side effects. This lead to The Shop killing her mother and kidnapping her in an attempt to use her as a weapon of mass destruction. A chase around the country ensues after Andy manages to get her back for a few months. This is until a special Shop agent captures the pair and moves them into a secret facility. Firestarter takes place in several different locations since the characters have to flee often during the course of events in the book. These locations include suspicious airports, dirty motels, old farmhouses, and

Terminal Values and Religious

Question: Discuss about the Terminal Values and Religious. Answer: Introduction Personality refers to the differences between people in characteristic patterns of feeling, behaving, and thinking. Different people different personality traits. A persons character trait reveals itself during various situations depending on the behavior manifested. Self-awareness is an essential element to decision making. Individuals who are self-aware have the capacity to recognize themselves as separate entities from the environment and other people. To achieve self-awareness, an individual needs to develop an understanding of themselves. To maintain professional life in the professional life and achieve set targets it is crucial to have adequate knowledge of your personality and personality traits. The Big Five personality traits commonly known as Five Factor Model (FFM) is a model use to describe the human nature. It uses standard language descriptors of human personality (Andreassen et al, 2016, p.290). This report also uses the Rokeach Value Survey which is a value classific ation instrument alongside the five-factor model to understand how personality influences the day to day decisions human beings make. The purpose of this essay is to determine how the five elements of self-awareness influence professional life in the workplace using the Big Five personality traits. Big Five personality traits model The model has five dimensions with no strong preferences. The five dimensions are; extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The independent researchers who developed the model studied relationships to group traits and determined the underlying factors of personality. All the Big Five personality traits have two separate but correlated aspects that reflect a level of character under the large domains. The aspects include assertiveness and enthusiasm for extraversion, withdrawal, and volatility for neuroticism, openness, and intellect for understanding, politeness, and compassion for agreeableness and lastly orderliness and industriousness for conscientiousness. Openness to experience shows the magnitude of intellectual curiosity. Conscientiousness refers to being dependable and having a liking for arranged behavior. Extraversion involves positive emotions and being social. Agreeableness includes compassion and cooperation while neurotici sm refers to the nature of going through unpleasant feelings quickly. Self-awareness Self-awareness plays a critical part in a successful career and achievement of goals. The workplace environment offers a lot of challenges to an employee whether a manager or an employee. An employee has to deal with personality traits, different behaviors, feelings, and attitudes while at work and remain productive. People are most likely to match their actions with their set standards when made self-aware. A self-aware individual will focus their attention on themselves, evaluate and make a comparison of their current behavior to their internal values and standards. Systematically, self-awareness develops from birth through the life span. It is a major factor in the development of the inferential process. Achieving the set organizational and personal objectives is not an easy task and both employees and managers have to maintain a self-aware state. The achievement of set goals and objectives requires the coordination of different personality traits. An individual should stay alerted and not be carried away by particular character traits and personalities and forget what the ultimate goal is. Self-awareness has many key elements that concern professional life. In this report, the five elements of self-awareness I have considered include; personality, leadership, decision, power and politics, emotional intelligence and values and motivators. The report uses the Five Factor Model to analyze how these factors influence professional life and achievement of set targets. Personality Traits Character attributes influence the behavior of employees in the organization. My personality type is proactive personality. A proactive nature ensures that I identify opportunities, take actions, create positive change and show initiative wherever involved (He and Van, 2015, p. 130). Essential insights into my personality demonstrate that I am open to experience, I sympathize with others what they are feeling. My personality would suit a long and blossom career life. Having the drive to achieve and the constant flow of ideas would act as a morale to strive and achieve set targets. Being compassionate means, I would always help my colleagues whenever I can, and I would also cover for my fellow employees who are sick or have emergencies and do the best for my company. The Rokeach Value Survey proved to be an eye-opener. Obedience and responsibility ranked in number two and five respectively in my instrumental values. Compliance creates a personality trait that adheres to the rules and regulations of the workplace. Obedience shows that I follow rules to the later, and I am open to taking heed of any professional advice given to me either by a manager or a fellow employee. Responsibility shows that I would be an employee who takes care of the Companys property. As a responsible employee, I would ensure that my colleagues and I do not break, destroy or steal company property such as uniforms and even the tools we use to serve our customers. My personality strengths would make me maintain professionalism in the workplace as I achieve the set achievements. The five-factor model and Rokeach value survey showed me my strengths but also my personality weakness. My weakness was that I always came out too loud and vocal even when not necessary. This is a personality trait that can easily land me in trouble with my employers. The hospitality industry thrives on the first impression hoteliers create to the guests. In this field of profession, it is not always wise to be too vocal and strong while airing out views. This may create a wrong impression to guests and even push away colleagues. Values and Motivators Values are a persons judgment or standard of behavior. Individuals have different values that they hold onto in life. Values that a person holds onto influence the behavior, attitudes and perception they portray. Through values, an individual can interpret n action as right or wrong (Glaz, 2015, p.1025). Usually, people do not want to be associated with behavior that goes against what they believe in. The Big Five personality model showed what type of values that I have that can help me remain professional in the workplace and at the same time be an achiever. I am a highly conscientious individual as I am always prepared, get work done quickly to the highest standards, and I am very patient. Being able to accomplish tasks in time will help me achieve the set targets and improve in professionalism. The hospitality industry is very delicate, and a person has to be self-aware at all times. Being an industry where guests come from all over the world, it is easy to get caught up embracing different negative values. I hold self-respect highly and make sure that I do not erode my personal values by engaging in the strange behavior. I am a corrupt free citizen who always aspires to embrace the values the society holds high. Corruption is a vice that is quickly spreading to every industry including the hospitality industry. Through my values, I will influence my colleagues and other staff to embrace the values the society expects of us and not erode our culture. In this process we will maintain professionalism, achieve the set targets and become global citizens. Motivators are factors that cause or incite a particular action. In organizations, employees require being motivated. Motivation may emanate from inside a person or from the management actions. Self-motivators include setting goals and striving to achieve them, Taking the right level of risk and actively seeking out opportunities. There are two main types of motivation namely intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation depends on the love and societal expectation while extrinsic is driven by a need for something i.e. money. Amongst my instrumental values in the Rokeach Value Survey, ambition ranks in the first spot. As an ambitious person, I am personally motivated to achieve what I set as targets for myself and the organizational goals and objectives. Through ambition, I would influence other staff to set personal goals and remain motivated as the achievement of the set targets acts as a morale booster. Emotional intelligence Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity of being aware and able to control and express your emotions (Raj and Uniyal, 2016, p.99). Emotional intelligence holds the key to a personal and professional, successful life. People express themselves through emotions. Emotions include; anger, disgust, surprise, happiness and joy. Emotions are a source of the attitude we portray about something. If a particular object makes you happy always, you will develop a positive attitude towards it. Emotion intelligence plays an integral part in career choice. Interestingly, most top achievers and performers have the ability to manage their emotions during pressurized situations and remain calm and control. The ability to control your emotions is essential to passing interviews and having a healthy professional life. The choice of a career in the hospitality industry is largely influenced by my emotional intelligence skills. The Big Five personality model showed that I am self-aware, and thus I do recognize and understand my emotions and moods well that can help me strike a good rapport with the guests, fellow colleagues and even managers. I can self-regulate my impulses and disruptive feelings such as excitement and anger. The hospitality industry does not require a temperamental nature. Thus I would be suitable for my career choice. Leadership Leadership can bridge the gap between management and employees. If applied well the body can utilize both managers and leaders and coordinate their actions for the purpose of achieving set goals. The hospitality industry is no different. A good leader will motivate the employees since leading is from the front unlike management. One unique quality of leaders is the ability to take risks as it is commonly put forward, strike while the iron is hot. As I have an extraversion trait, I tend to mingle a lot with people, start conversations, I feel comfortable around people, and I make better ethical decisions and always full of ideas. Leadership is all about striking the right rapport with a united people and channeling their efforts towards the achievement of a shared goal. As a leader, I would share in the strategic objectives of the organization. Hoteliers have to set the bar higher and strive to achieve it to become market leaders. Since I am a person of the people and I like to exact my full effort on any task I am handling. I would provide direction for my fellow employees on any issues that face the organization. As I like working with people, I would also be involved in the tasks assigned thus acting as a role model for the employees. In the Rokeach Value Survey, the goal of equality ranks number three amongst final values. Equality is a fundamental element in great leadership. For I value equality, I would turn the organization around and create a single unit that believes in team spirit. Team spirit is crucial in keeping the group together as a unit with team players who are ready to fight tooth and nail for the organization to achieve profits. I am a born, trained and experienced leader in the making who has the required techniques to inspire fellow employees and influence them towards the achievement of our companys objectives. Power and politics Power and politics are two pillars that hold and drive an organization forward. Through power and politics, organizations get things moving. Powers are the ability to influence the behavior of others at will. Often in organizations, politics gives people power. Power and politics depend on people. Without people to exercise your power upon, the power becomes useless thus power is developed through others. Organization politics is critical to the development of an ideal workplace. Employees use politics as a tool to champion for their rights and want. Through policies, employees give the power to fellow employees who are seen to have the best interests of the employees at heart. Through power, employees reduce the stressors available in the workplace and help the organization achieve its set targets. As I am a soft hearted person who is interested in people the Big Five personality trait model shows that I am agreeable. Since agreeable is a social habit I would, therefore, be a good politician in the workplace, and I can use the power bestowed upon me to make changes in the organization for the better. As a manager or a leader in the workplace, I would champion for the rights and needs of my fellow employees, rally them behind the organizational goals and objectives and ensure that there is a better rapport between the employees and the management. The hospitality industries require a person who has both formal and base power. Since I am still in the process of equipping myself with the necessary professional knowledge to have official power, I am equipped with personal power. This power comes from my ability to take time out for others and blending in well with people. A person of the people will inherently have some power and influence over these people. With power, I would ensure that the firm adheres to the laid down labor regulations. Labor relations issues are the primary cause of industrial unrests in many industries. By ensuring the management conducts all labor issues according to the government regulations, I would help my organization create a good image, attract investors and dodge many lawsuits (Hammack and Pilecki, 2015, p. 373). Decision making and Planning Both employees and managers have to make judgments in the workplace. Planning is the process of laying down future-oriented strategies to achieve a particular goal while decision making is the act of choosing the best set of solution for a problem from many alternative solutions. Decision making is a critical part of planning. Effective planning involves making the right personal decisions and organizational decisions. Good decision-making technique depends on a persons character traits and values and most importantly the personality of the individual. Good decision makers always end up making great leaders. For the purpose of these report, I considered two theories namely the Organizational Process Model and Rationality in decision-making theory. The organizational process model involves making decisions according to the procedures and systems the organization has. The Organizational Process Model theory is relevant in that it helps organizations to develop choices that suit them ap propriately i.e. in decentralized authorities; participative decision making is the best (Lulin, Yiranbon and Asante, 2016, p. 5). Rationality decision-making theory states that effective decisions have to be made rationally. The importance of this approach is that it provides the necessary steps to make a rational decision. To make sound decisions a person has to collect the relevant information, analyze, evaluate and make a choice. In making a decision regarding a career choice, I used the Rationality decision-making theory. I had to gather information about what I wanted in life the most. Though I had many alternatives, I chose to become a Tourism and Hotel professional. Factors such as the job market, competition, career development and reward packages influenced my decision. The Big Five Personality trait model shows that I have a high conscientiousness and open to experience. I am always full of excellent ideas and understand things quickly. Having plenty of ideas enables a person to become a good planner and a decision maker. The tourism and hotel industry has a lot of traveling and cites seeing which builds a magical experience for anyone. Since I am an adventurous person, I would not have settled on anything less. Conclusion In conclusion, it is necessary for an upcoming professional no matter the field has adequate knowledge about their personality. Personality and self-awareness are keys to a fruitful and happy professional and personal life. Emotional intelligence is not only important in relationships but also in the work environment (Scaffidi et al, 2016, p.375). Many people with high intelligence quotients have failed to get jobs during interviews because they could not control their emotions. Self-awareness, personality, and emotional intelligence are important factors to any employee. The workplace has a lot of stressors that only a self-aware and emotionally intelligent person can handle and remain professional to achieve the set goals and objectives. References Andreassen, C, Bjorvatn, B, Moen, B, Waage, S, Magery, N, Pallesen, S 2016, 'A Longitudinal Study Of The Relationship Between The Five-Factor Model Of Personality And Workaholism',TPM: Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology In Applied Psychology, 23, 3, pp. 285-298 Babakus, E, Yavas, U, Karatepe, O 2008, 'The Effects of Job Demands, Job Resources and Intrinsic Motivation on Emotional Exhaustion and Turnover Intentions: A Study in the Turkish Hotel Industry',International Journal Of Hospitality Tourism Administration, 9, 4, pp. 384-404 DeMatthews, DE 2014, 'How to Improve Curriculum Leadership: Integrating Leadership Theory and Management Strategies',Clearing House, 87, 5, pp. 192-196, GÅ‚az, S 2015, 'The Importance of Terminal Values and Religious Experience of God's Presence and God's Absence in the Lives of University Students with Various Levels of Empathy',Journal of Religion Health, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 1052-1067. Itami, C 2013, 'Acquisition Of Integrated Language-Culture Competency In A Multi-Cultural Work Place',Bulletin Of The Transilvania University Of Brasov. Series VII: Social Sciences. Law, 6, 2, pp. 291-298 Grlk, S, Uzel, G 2016, 'An Evaluation of Agri-Environmental Indicators through a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tool in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Turkey',Polish Journal Of Environmental Studies, 25, 4, pp. 1523-1527 Gutierrez, D, Mullen, P 2016, 'Emotional Intelligence and the Counselor: Examining the Relationship of Trait Emotional Intelligence to Counselor Burnout',Journal Of Mental Health Counseling, 38, 3, pp. 187-200, Hammack, P, Pilecki, A 2015, 'Power in History: Contrasting Theoretical Approaches to Intergroup Dialogue',Journal Of Social Issues, 71, 2, pp. 371-385 He, J, van de Vijver, F 2015, 'Self-presentation styles in self-reports: Linking the general factors of response styles, personality traits, and values in a longitudinal study',Personality Individual Differences, 81, pp. 129-134 Itami, C 2013, 'Acquisition Of Integrated Language-Culture Competency In A Multi-Cultural Work Place',Bulletin Of The Transilvania University Of Brasov. Series VII: Social Sciences. Law, 6, 2, pp. 291-298 Lulin, Z, Yiranbon, E, Asante Antwi, H 2016, 'Complementarity of Clinician Judgment and Evidence Based Models in Medical Decision Making: Antecedents, Prospects, and Challenges',BioMed Research International, pp. 1-11. Musil, B, Rus, V, Musek, J 2009, 'The Rokeach Value Survey In Comparative Study Of Japanese And Slovenian Students: Towards The Underlying Structure',Studia Psychologica, 51, 1, pp. 53-68 () Pfattheicher, S, Keller, J 2015, 'The watching eyes phenomenon: The role of a sense of being seen and public self-awareness',European Journal Of Social Psychology, 45, 5, pp. 560-566 Raj, A, Uniyal, D 2016, 'A Study of Emotional Intelligence in Relation to Job Satisfaction Among The Senior Secondary Teachers of Dehradun District',International Journal Of Multidisciplinary Approach Studies, 3, 3, pp. 97-107, Rossier, J, Aluja, A, Blanch, A, Barry, O, Hansenne, M, Carvalho, A, Valdivia, M, Wang, W, Desrichard, O, Hyphantis, T, Suranyi, Z, Glicksohn, J, De Pascalis, V, Len-Mayer, E, Piskunov, A, Stivers, A, Morizot, J, Ostendorf, F, ÄŒekrlija, Ä , Bellaj, T 2016, 'Cross-cultural Generalizability of the Alternative Five-factor Model Using the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire',European Journal Of Personality, 30, 2 Saeed, T, Almas, S, Anis-ul-Haq, M, Niazi, G 2014, 'Leadership styles: relationship with conflict management styles',International Journal Of Conflict Management (Emerald), 25, 3, pp. 214-225 Scaffidi Abbate, C, Boca, S, Gendolla, G 2016, 'Self-awareness, Perspective-taking, and Egocentrism',Self Identity, 15, 4, pp. 371-380 Stepin, VS 2015, 'Philosophy as Cultural Self-Awareness',Russian Studies In Philosophy, 53, 2, pp. 151-158 Yefei, W, Guangrong, X, Xilong, C 2016, 'Effects Of Emotional Intelligence And Self-Leadership On Students' Coping With Stress',Social Behavior Personality: An International Journal, 44, 5, pp. 853-864, Zhu, W, Zheng, X, Riggio, R, Zhang, X 2015, 'A Critical Review of Theories and Measures of Ethics-Related Leadership',New Directions For Student Leadership, 2015, 146, pp. 81-96, Zupan, S, Milfelner, B 2014, 'Social responsibility, motivation and satisfaction: small hotels guests' perspective',Kybernetes, 43, 3/4, pp. 513-528

Tata Motors Essay Example

Tata Motors Paper Tata Motors were inspired to build the Tata Nano by seeing a father driving his families around with scooter. From the text, Tata was speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, He states that â€Å"I observed families riding on two-wheelers, the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seat behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family† he knew that he could come up with something and help them. There was a need of inexpensive car in India because the consuming of cars in India was half of the population and the rest are motorcycles and scooters so he wanted to replace them to Tata Nano. According to the text, â€Å"the car is aimed at keeping the families of India’s growing middle class from having to travel with as many as four people on a scooter†. Tata Motors did a research on the customer by studying and trying to understand them. Understanding the customer’s values and what they need was the key concept to Tata and how the Nano car will be built and function. The engineers worked to do more with less. Tata has could cut down the price by asking his engineers and suppliers to redesign the many components to cut costs. For example, speedometer was placed the center of the dashboard over the air events, not behind the steering wheel, which the dashboard can be built with fewer parts. Tata and his engineer did their best to cut costs and meet the target of $2,500 for the price of the car. We will write a custom essay sample on Tata Motors specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tata Motors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tata Motors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I think low price means poor quality because the main purpose of producing Tata Nano is to attract the middle class who couldn’t afford expensive car which lead cost-cutting ideas such as, eliminate actuators in the headlights, the levelers that adjust the angle of the beam depending on how the car was loaded. Nano is much lighter than comparable models because they reduce the amount of steel in the car including the use of aluminum engine and the use of lightweight steel as possible. Tata motors had originally planned to manufacture Nano in Singur, West Bengal, India. However, the problem arose immediately after the purchased of the land from West Bengal government. Because the government did not actually own the land, but acquired it from local farmers by imposing the force of eminent domain. The protests hinged upon allegations that Tata forced farmers from their land and handed out payments that were a portion of the land’s value. The dispute went to the peak, over thirty thousand activities and farmers were overwhelmed in Singur, West Bengal state, to march against the plant. The highway leading to Singur was blocked and Tata Motors was force to evacuate employees from the plant site. Employees failed to show up to work after a threats from protestors. Finally, Tata Motors was putting detailed plan together for the relocation of the plant and machinery, but ended up in Tata’s existing factory in Pantnagar in Uttarakhand. The important features of the Indian economic environment were land, because most was issued for agriculture. Local farmers living related to land. Therefore, doing business in India has to consider about the land and local farmers.

102 Intro to Causal Analysis Professor Ramos Blog

102 Intro to Causal Analysis Intro to Causal Analysis Intro to Causal Analysis Causality: the relationship of cause and effect Causal Analysis  systematically examines the causes and/or the effects of an event, situation, belief, or action. Cause asks: Why did it happen? Why does it happen? Why will it happen? Effect asks: What did it produce? What does it produce? What will it produce? By carefully analyzing  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ A Causal Analysis essay gives you a precise way to ask tough questions about the world you live in. Everyday the news is full of issues that raise  why  and  what if  questions. Instead of focusing on the whole of an issue, focus down on why something happens or what the effect is of something happening. For example: Instead of focusing on the death penalty which has a ton of information to sort through once you begin researching. The causal analysis assignment focuses the inquiry into causes and effects: Why was the death penalty reinstated in Texas in 1982? Or, what has the deterrent effect been since then? The causal analysis gives you a line of inquiry to pursue, that is central to understanding the argument and arguing well. In this way, the assignment asks you to develop rhetorical skills, in particular logical thinking, the supporting of explanations with evidence, and the ability to explain the â€Å"story† of cause and effect to an audience. For this assignment, you will pick a monster to investigate more in-depth. Psycho Here is the infamous shower scene from Psycho (1960) While this scene is iconic, the movie is based on a real person: Ed Gein.

Geography of Christmas

Geography of Christmas Every December 25, billions of people around the world gather together to celebrate the Christmas holiday. While many dedicate the occasion as the Christian tradition of the birth of Jesus, others commemorate the age-old customs of the pagans, the indigenous peoples of pre-Christian Europe. Still, others might carry on the celebration of Saturnalia, the feast of the Roman god of agriculture. And, the celebration of Saturnalia included the ancient Persian Feast of the Unconquered Sun on December 25th. Whatever the case, one can certainly encounter many different ways of celebrating the occasion. Through the centuries these local and universal traditions have gradually blended together to form our modern tradition of Christmas, arguably the first global holiday. Today, many cultures around the world celebrate Christmas with a wide variety of customs. In the United States, most of our traditions have been borrowed from Victorian England, which were themselves borrowed from other places, notably mainland Europe. In our current culture, many people may be familiar with the Nativity scene or maybe visiting Santa Claus at the local shopping mall, but these common traditions werent always with us. This compels us to ask some questions about the geography of Christmas: where did our holiday traditions come from and how did they come to be? The list of world Christmas traditions and symbols is long and varied. Many books and articles have been written about each one separately. In this article, three of the most common symbols are discussed: Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ, Sa nta Claus, and the Christmas tree. Origin and Diffusion of Christmas Symbols Christmas was designated as the birth of Jesus in the fourth century CE. During this period, Christianity was just beginning to define itself and Christian feast days were integrated into the popular pagan traditions to ease the adoption of the new religious beliefs. Christianity diffused outward from this region through the work of evangelizers and missionaries and eventually, European colonization brought it to places all over the world. The cultures that adopted Christianity also adopted the celebration of Christmas. The legend of Santa Claus began with a Greek Bishop in fourth-century Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). There in the town of Myra, a young bishop, named Nicholas, gained a reputation for kindness and generosity by distributing his family fortune to the less fortunate. As one story goes, he stopped the sale of three young women into slavery by providing enough gold to make a marriage dowry for each of them. According to the story, he threw the gold through the window and it landed in a stocking drying by the fire. As time passed, the word spread of Bishop Nicholas generosity and children began hanging their stockings by the fire in hopes that the good bishop would pay them a visit. Bishop Nicholas died on December 6th, 343 CE. He was canonized as a saint a short time later and the feast day of Saint Nicholas is celebrated on the anniversary of his death. The Dutch pronunciation of Saint Nicholas is Sinter Klaas. When Dutch settlers came to the United States, the pronunciation became Anglicanized and changed to Santa Claus which remains with us today. Little is known about what Saint Nicholas looked like. Depictions of him often portrayed a tall, thin character in a hooded robe sporting a graying beard. In 1822, an American theological professor, Clement C. Moore, wrote a poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas (more popularly known as The Night Before Christmas). In the poem, he describes Saint Nick as a jolly elf with a round belly and a white beard. In 1881, an American cartoonist, Thomas Nast, drew a picture of Santa Claus using Moores description. His drawing gave us the modern-day image of Santa Claus. The origin of the Christmas tree can be found in Germany. In pre-Christian times, the pagans celebrated the Winter Solstice, often decorated with pine branches because they were always green (hence the term evergreen). The branches were often decorated with fruit, especially apples and nuts. The evolution of the evergreen tree into the modern Christmas tree begins with Saint Boniface, on a mission from a Britain (modern-day England) through the forests of Northern Europe. He was there to evangelize and convert the pagan peoples to Christianity. Accounts of the journey say that he intervened in the sacrifice of a child at the foot of an oak tree (oak trees are associated with the Norse god Thor). After stopping the sacrifice, he encouraged the people to instead gather around the evergreen tree and divert their attention away from bloody sacrifices to acts of giving and kindness. The people did so and the tradition of the Christmas tree was born. For centuries, it remained mostly a Ger man tradition. The widespread diffusion of the Christmas tree to areas outside of Germany didnt happen until Queen Victoria of England married Prince Albert of Germany. Albert moved to England and brought with him his German Christmas traditions. The idea of the Christmas tree became popular in Victorian England after an illustration of the Royal Family around their tree was published in 1848. The tradition then quickly spread to the United States along with many other English traditions. Conclusion Christmas is a historic holiday that blends ancient pagan customs with the more recent universal traditions of Christianity. It is also an interesting trip around the world, a geographic story that originated in many places, especially Persia and Rome. It gives us the account of three wise men from the orient visiting a newborn baby in Palestine, the recollection of good deeds by a Greek bishop living in Turkey, the fervent work of a British missionary traveling through Germany, a childrens poem by an American theologian, and the cartoons of a German-born artist living in the United States. All of this variety contributes to the festive nature of Christmas, which is what makes the holiday such an exciting occasion. Interestingly, when we pause to remember why we have these traditions, we have geography to thank for it.

Technology Strategy & Innovation Management Assignment

Technology Strategy & Innovation Management - Assignment Example There are several external factors that are affecting Motorola. I will use the PESTEL framework to analyze them. The focus, therefore, will be Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological, Environment and Legal.. Let us now take a look at them in details. Political: In spite of technological advancements we have not yet reached a stage where we exist in the virtual dimension. Businesses are done through remote collaboration tools and solutions but those who collaborate operate from and within certain jurisdictions. Those jurisdictions have laws and they affect how any company operating within them can operate. Multinationals like Motorola must adapt to the political climates of their host nations. Socio-cultural: Motorola shows social responsibility and maintains good relationships with their host communities. An example of their social responsibility is the supplier diversity programme which endeavours to give certain disadvantaged groups an opportunity. Technological advancements: New solutions, new platforms and the pace of these innovations. From MRP we now have ERP and are quickly heading towards the Virtual Enterprise. Software breakthroughs have brought an expanded horizon. There are many business solutions and platforms that are constantly affecting the way we do business. Motorola is also taking advantage of these solutions and platforms. Environmental: Motorola has long term environmental policies that include designing all their products to be environment friendly, recycling or reusing all waste materials and conserving natural resources. Legal: Motorola has a well established legal department. This is demonstrated by the fact that they have an audit committee line which main aim is to allow access to the Audit and Legal Committee of the Motorola's Board of Directors. THE INTERNAL FACTORS THAT ARE AFFECTING MOTOROLA Now I want to discuss the internal factors that are affecting Motorola. I will concentrate on the threat of entry, threat of substitutes, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers and competitive rivalry. The threat of entry: Nokia, previously a minor in telecommunications overthrew Motorola the former undisputed king of telecommunications. Another smaller company could repeat what Nokia did. The challenge is predicting correctly the next technological trend. A new or smaller company can literarily become the world leader if it makes the right forecast and positions itself well to capitalize on it. There are other threats posed by certain platforms: As described by Hardwick and Bolton (1997), "Virtual enterprise companies share costs, skills, and core competencies that collectively enable them to access global markets with world-class solutions their members could not deliver individually." (Eom & Lee, 1999) This has afforded Motorola a better way of increasing efficiency while reducing costs. However, it has also opened up the door for less funded competition to increase their productivity. Threat of substitutes: The internet is growing and with this growth also comes a lot of opportunities and threats. The cost of doing business online is relatively low. This means that a less financed

HRM-analysis, evaluating, link the corporate strategy with the HRM Assignment - 1

HRM-analysis, evaluating, link the corporate strategy with the HRM strategy of organisation - Assignment Example For an industry to harness the full potential of its employees as a way to succeed in the competitive world, it must alter three factors of managerial control which are; business design, culture and HR practices and policies (Sims, 2006, 34). Currently, several global companies such as Samsung restructured their practices proving a more autonomous environment in order to structure the intangible aspects of the workplace (Truss, 2012 p.266). These intangible factors include beliefs, norms and values. The aim of the essay below is to discuss the strategic human resource management of the world’s largest company Samsung group. The study involves identifying; analysing and evaluating the human resource strategy applied and connect it to HR theories and models. It includes looking at how Samsung implements vertical integration in their human resource department. The objective of the discussion involves identifying and defining the issue at hand. Second, clear comprehension of the concepts, models and theories of strategic human resource management in Samsung. Finally, critical assessment and understanding of the models and theories of strategic human resource management featured in the organisation. For some years, there is a noteworthy rise in the expansion of interest towards strategic management (Cooke, 2003 p.45). The interest leads to the enhancement if concern by various organisation functions towards their responsibility in strategic management process. Therefore, the human resource management became integrated to the strategic management procedure by the development of a new principle referred to as Strategic Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM refers to all the activities impacting the behaviour of people in their efforts to create and implement a business tactic (Henderson, 2011, p.67). Strategic human resource management contains four main attributes, which include: organisation

Civil Rights and Responsibilities Essay Example for Free

Civil Rights and Responsibilities Essay The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution shortly after its ratification. These amendments guarantee certain political, procedural, and property rights against infringement by the national government (Patterson, 2009). â€Å"A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on influence (Thomas Jefferson). The First Amendment provides the foundation for freedom of expression which is the right of individual Americans to hold and communicate views of their choosing (Patterson, 2009). The motivation of the Bill of Rights was to guarantee individual rights and freedoms. The First Amendment reflects this tradition, providing for freedom of religion along with freedom of speech, press, assembly, and petition. The three provisions of the First Amendment are the freedom of speech, assembly and religion. The freedom of speech states that you are free to say almost anything except that which is obscene, slanders another person, or has a high probability of inciting others to take imminent lawless action. The freedom of assembly states that you are free to assemble, although government may regulate the time and place for reasons of public convenience safety, provided such regulations are applied evenhandedly to all groups. The freedom of religion states that you are protected from having the religious beliefs of others imposed on you, and you are free to believe what you like. Freedom of religion simply means citizens have freedom to attend a church, synagogue, temple or mosque of their choice, or not to attend at all. The First Amendment allows us to practice our religion the way we want to. When talking about freedom of religion and the First Amendment I think about religion in the schools. Every since the Supreme Court held school-sponsored prayer unconstitutional in the early 1960s, there has ben a concerted and well-funded campaign to reintroduce religion in public schools. Public schools themselves should not be in the business of promoting particular religious beliefs or religious activities and they should protect children from being coerced by others to accept religious (or anti-religious beliefs. A Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission inquiry ruled in July that the Saskatoon Board of Education must end a practice of giving teachers the option of conducting prayers in public school classrooms and assemblies. In practice, the choice has been primarily the Lords Prayer. The ruling will not change practices in separate schools. The inquiry followed a complaint six years ago by nine parents, including Muslims, Jews, Unitarians and atheists. About 20% of the 550 public school classrooms in Saskatoon begin the day with prayer. The decision may be appealed in court (Globe and Mail, 1999). The relationship between religion and government in the United States when it comes to the United States Constitution is governed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, which both prevents the government from establishing religion and protects privately initiated religious expression and activities from government interference and discrimination. The First Amendment thus establishes certain limits on the conduct of public school officials as it relates to religious activity, including prayer. Prayer should not have been taken out of schools. Parents should be sent home a letter opting out of religious activities and employees should be given the same option, but taken it out of schools was ridiculous. The case of Engel v. Vitale (1962) went to the Supreme Court and the case was about a time in 1951 the New York State Board of Regents (the State board of education) approved a 22-word â€Å"nondenominational prayer â€Å"for recitation each morning in the public schools of New York. It read: â€Å"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country.† The Regents believed that the prayer could be a useful tool for the development of character and good citizenship among the students of the State of New York. The prayer was offered to the school boards in the State for their use, and participation in the â€Å"prayer-exercise† was voluntary. In New Hyde Park, New York, the Union Free School District No. 9 directed the local principal to have the prayer â€Å"said aloud by each class in the presence of a teacher at the beginning of the school day.† The parents of ten pupils in the New Hyde Park schools objected to the prayer. They filed suit in a New York State court seeking a ban on the prayer, insisting that the use of this official prayer in the public schools was contrary to their own and their childrens beliefs, religions, or religious practices. The State appeals court upheld the use of the prayer, â€Å"so long as the schools did not compel any pupil to join in the prayer over his or his parents objection† (infoplease.com). The Freedom to Assemble gives people the right to assemble peacefully without causing any harm to others. As much as I do not agree with the KKK views and opinions they should be able to assemble if they do it in a peaceful manner. The First Amendment prohibits government from abridging the right of the people peaceably to assemble. This basic freedom ensures that the spirit of the First Amendment survives and thrives even when the majority of citizens would rather suppress expression it finds offensive. Over the course of our history, freedom of assembly has protected individuals espousing myriad viewpoints. Striking workers, civil rights advocates, anti-war demonstrators and Ku Klux Klan marchers have all taken to the streets and sidewalks in protest or in support of their causes. Sometimes these efforts have galvanized public support or changed public perceptions. Imagine a civil rights movement without the March on Washington or the womens suffrage movement without ranks of long-skirted, placard-carrying suffragists filling city streets. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized the importance of this freedom in the 1937 case De Jonge v. State of Oregon, writing that the right to peaceable assembly is a right cognate to those of free speech and free press and is equally fundamental. â€Å"According to the Court, † the right to assemble is one that cannot be denied without violating those fundamental principles which lie at the base of all civil and political institutions† (archive.firstamendmentcenter.org). The KKKs right to assemble peaceably was secured by the famous 1977 case of National Socialist Party v. Skokie, in which the American Civil Liberties Union successfully argued that the First Amendment prohibited officials of Skokie, Ill., from banning a march by the National Socialist Party. Skokie is a Chicago suburb that is home to many Holocaust survivors. One federal judge reasoned that â€Å"it is better to allow those who preach racial hatred to expend their venom in rhetoric rather than to be panicked into embarking on the dangerous course of permitting the government to decide what its citizens may say and hear† (archive.firstamendmentcenter.org). In conclusion, the First Amendment of the United States protects the rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression as well as freedom of assembly from government interference. Freedom of expression consists of the rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the implied rights of association and belief. The Supreme Court interprets the extent of the protection afforded to these rights. The First Amendment has been interpreted by the Court as applying to the entire federal government even though it is only expressly applicable to Congress. Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause are two clauses in the First Amendment that guarantee freedom of religion. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. It enforces the separation of church and state. The Free Exercise Clause prohibits the government, in most instances, from interfering with a persons practice of their religion. The right to assemble allows people to gather for peaceful and lawful purposes. Implicit within this right is the right to association and belief. With that being said, all people should be having some kind of freedom. They should be able to boycott and assemble peacefully without causing any harm to anyone. People should be free to have their different views and opinions of religion, be it that they religious or anti-religious. To sum it all up I would love for everyone to feel that they are free. References http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1961/1961_468 http://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/program-freedom-religion-and-belief-government-funded-religion Religion in schools (teachers in Saskatchewan will no longer have the option of conducting prayer services in class). Humanist in Canada 130 (1999): 4, 39. General OneFile. Web. 25 June 2012. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html

Vision and Blindsight Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Vision and Blindsight Implications Regarding Consciousness Vision-- receiving and interpreting light signals from the environment in order to form an image in one's mind-- is an incredibly complex process. Somehow signals from photoreceptors located in the eye are converted into the conscious experience of sight. Of all the aspects of vision, perhaps the most difficult for us to comprehend scientifically is this notion of consciousness. Somehow the brain interprets light waves hitting the retina so that we are visually aware of our surroundings. While the mechanism of signal transduction from the photoreceptor through the visual cortex has been extensively elucidated, science has difficulty dealing with the phenomena of consciousness and awareness, especially on a reductionist level. A recent neurobiological approach to understanding consciousness, at least on a perceptual level, has involved the study of the phenomenon of blindsight. Damage to areas of the visual cortex often result in complete or partial blindness. Although the eye itself is undamaged, patients report an inability to detect any light input in part of (or the entire) visual field. However, experiments regularly show that somehow, visual cues are processed. Visual inputs presented to the blind field affect the patient's response to stimulus in the normal visual field. Reaction times to stimuli are affected as well as the interpretation of the stimuli. A visual cues presented in the blind field may suggest a certain interpretation of an ambiguous stimuli. For example, the interpretation of the word "bank", presented as an auditory cue, differs depending on whether the word "river" or "money" is presented to the blind field, even though the patient does not... ...Linked%20Pages/Physiol/Cortex.html 3) Visual Processing Streams http://mitpress.mit.edu/MITECS/work/goodale_r.html 4) Consciousness, Neurobiology of http://mitpress.mit.edu/MITECS/work/koch_r.html 5) Pattern of neuronal activity associated with conscious and unconscious processing of visual signals, Sahraie, et al. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/94/17/9406?terms=consciousness&searchqstr=tyear:1997!fyear:1996!fmonth:Nov!tmonth:Nov!tdatedef:11+November+1997!fdatedef:12+November+1996!hits:10!fulltext:consciousness!sendit:Search 6) The Problem of Consciousness Crick and Koch http://www.unomaha.edu/~spaige/crick-ko.htm#blindsight 7) Co nsciousness http://www.duke.edu/~kellogg/Classes/Mentation/Issue%201/Marchiano.htm 8) On a Confusion About a Function of Consciousness. Block, Ned ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/BBS/.WWW/bbs.block.html

Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches Essay

Qualitative Research Design Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Qualitative research design is an approach used in research by researchers and scientists to study the behaviour and habits of human beings in the society. According to Flick, (2009 p. 17) the research design is used in various fields such as health, social sciences, business and other social sciences to study different behaviours. In health, qualitative research may be used to study issues on health awareness, availability of health facility, and access to primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare services. The data obtained is then used as the basis for health improvement recommendations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consequently, the qualitative research design can be applied in business to study the problems affecting business and how solutions can be modelled to improve performance of the industry. According to Saunders et al., (2012 p. 6) business research is a systematic research aimed at studying problems and solutions to business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the fact that business is a wide field, the design is also adapted in specific disciplines of business such as product design, marketing, advertisement, human resource, and studying new business opportunities. For example, in product design, the designers may want to obtain data about the existing products based on consumers’ feedback and use the information to improve or design new product using interviews, focus groups or ethnographic studies. Similarly, the same approach can be used in market research to establish the demand of certain products and the product penetration in the market. The researcher prepares questions to be used in either interviews or focus group. The information obtained from the interviews is then analysed to understand the demand of a given product in the market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Example of qualitative research for product designer may include: product designers may want to study the gap in the market for a certain product for them to introduce new product that meet consumers’ tastes and preference. The designer may opt to interview several people in the targeted area and ask questions that may give information about the gap in the existing products. For example, they may obtain information about a detergent that does not work effectively to remove stains and thus design a new product that would meet consumers taste and preferences. Hence, qualitative research design forms the most efficient tool to obtain the data required to make the decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The design is also used as a lead for quantitative design. The viability of hypothesis is tested through the qualitative design and then proved using the quantitative design through mathematical analysis. Hence, the design is very important for preliminary studies where the researcher may want to gather information about the topic before embarking on detailed quantitative research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Siegel & Olshansky, (2012 p. 53) there are several approaches used to obtain the data in qualitative design, which include: Interviews Focus groups Ethnographic research   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The interviews and the focus groups will be studied in details in the rest of the paper through critical evaluation and analysis to understand the application and how their cons can be improved in order to improve qualitative research design. Interviews   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interviews involve questions and answer session between the researcher and the participants (DiCicco†Bloom, & Crabtree, 2006 p. 317). The researcher or the interviewer asks the questions while the participant responds to them based on his experience or the knowledge about the questions. The interviewer guides the respond throughout the interview until all the questions are answered comprehensively. The interview may involve individuals or groups. According to Seidman, (2013 p. 113) interviews can be carried out through various methods such as; face-to-face interactions, telephone or electronic devices such as internet-enabled computer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are different types of interviews depending on how they are carried or how the interview questions are structured. The paper will elaborate, evaluate and analysed four forms of interviews namely: Structured interview Semi-structured interviews Unstructured interviews and Iinformal interviews Types of interviews   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The types of interviews are discussed based on Creswell, (2014 p. 189) explanations. Structured interviews   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   They are the main tool of research when the researcher has well understanding of the research topic. This is because the researcher is able to formulate all the possible research questions and get as much information from the participants as possible. The researcher may be interested in proving a theory or previous studies. Hence, interview is based on the literature reviewed or observations related to the topic during less structured interviews. The interview is developed using topic specific and close-ended questions. This is from the fact that the researcher has well understanding of the topic and scope and thus limits the information that he or she should obtain from the participants. Although the researcher is able to obtain information that is specific to his or her study, it may be hard for the respondent to answer all the questions well since he may be limited to answers. In addition, lack of knowledge about a certain question may result in incomplete interviews. Semi-Structured interviews   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The interview is used when the researcher has limited time, respondent availability is not guaranteed, and thus different people conduct the interview in the field at the same time. The interview has well explained instructions to guide the interviewers in order to provide accurate and qualitative data in addition to trainings meant for understanding the topic. The interviews are preceded by informal interviews and observations in order to help the researcher to understand the topic in order to develop the semi-structured interview. The interview questions are mainly open ended and thus the respondent has the freedom to answer the questions in his own understanding and experience. The interview becomes interesting when the respondent understands the topic and thus he or she may give as much information as possible. The additional information can be noted in a notebook to support the data during presentation. Unstructured interviews   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   They are carried out when the researchers lack enough understanding on the topic and hence have allowance for additional information from the respondent. The researcher tries to gets as much information from the respondent as possible in order for him or her to build on the existing information. The questions are open ended and the researcher has no influence on the respondents’ answers. However, the researcher has a clear understanding of the research setting. Informal interviews   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The method is commonly used for social research and or during the early set up of the study. In this type of interview, the researcher aim is to obtain as much information from participants as possible. This is because the topic is poorly understood and there is little literature on the topic and thus information can only be obtained from primary sources to build on the existing information. Most informative interview approach are carried out for studies that are based on experience, interests, or a given culture that is not researched and so the researcher uses observations to develop more understand of the inquiry and develop a rapport. Like the structured, the interview questions are open ended as the respondent’s information is crucial towards development of the study. Pros of the interviews Accurate data   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Seidman, (2013 p. 1oo) interviews give more accurate data than other data collection methods. The researcher explains to the respondents some questions that might be difficult of him or her and thus end up getting the required information. In addition, the researcher explore the topic or questions using probe that enables him or her to get more information and details, which results in more accurate data. That is, the researcher has a chance to clarify and explain some questions that the interviewee my lack the knowledge and understanding thus getting the intended information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The interview provides a rich data with details and insights about the topic. The respondent describes his or her own understanding on the topic with the help of the researcher. In addition, the researcher can create a favourable environment for the interview thus resulting in general and sensitive information that is important to the study compared to other methods of data collection such as questionnaires and focus group. For example, in focus group, the interactions of a number of respondents at the same time may hinder discussion of sensitive information due to lack of confidentiality. However, interview between the researcher and respondent only creates a favourable environment to give all types of information. Feedback   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is direct response from the interviewee and the feedback. This ensures that the information sought is obtained and in case of disparity. In addition, the researcher ensures that the information is obtained from the intended person. In other types of methods such as questionnaires, information may be obtained from unintended person. Observations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interviews can be carried out at the same time with observations to gain more understanding and information on the topic. Unlike other methods used in research, interviews allow researcher to make observations that may be important source of information. In addition, the research may compare the information from the respondents and what he or she observes and inquire for clarity when disparity is noticed. Building Rapport   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Close interactions between the researcher and interviewee creates a more relaxed environment, which results to the respondent answering questions based on his or her experience rather than giving direct answers to the topic. The researcher then use the information obtained from the researcher to build a rapport with topic. The researcher may explore additional information from the respondent that may help to develop more understanding on the topic Flexibility   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interviews are conducted at any time, locations, or based on the circumstances of the individual,. Thus, they are the most convenient method of data collection. For example, the researcher can conduct interviews in residential areas, trading areas, farming locations and any other place that may be convenient to the respondent. Cons of interviews   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Time-consuming: the process of scheduling, conducting, and analysing the interviews consumes a lot of time (Zikmund, 2013 p. 150). The process of visiting the respondents and carrying the interview face-to-face can be tedious and time consuming. Since huge data is obtained from interview, it becomes tedious to enter the data and a lot of time is consumed. Therefore, it is important to have a data entry and analysis plan before data collection. Costly   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The interviews are costly because they require the interviewers to be trained, the schedules to visit respondents to be prepared and the actual interview process. They require physical participation of respondent and the researcher. Biasness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The physical appearance of the interviewee may affect the attitude of the respondent and thus giving biased information that may affect the accuracy of the data. Other factors that may results in biased information include the respondents’: voice tone and opinion, gender and race, inadequate note taking. Biasness affects the main purpose of the study, which may produce contradicting data from the existing one. This can mislead future studies that may rely on the data. Inconsistencies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The flexibility of the interviews may result in inconsistence data during interactions due to variation in interview setting such as changing environment. For example- interruption of interviews by passersby or other factors such as rain can make the respondent to lose track and give inconsistence information Focus groups   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Focus group involves collection of data through semi-structured interview from a group of respondents who are identified based on diverse but related characteristics to form a diverse group that represent the actual population. The interview is moderated by a group leader and involves discussion of a specific topic. Fiske and Merton introduced the method during their studies that were based on audience participants (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005 p. 87) Pros of focus group Developing research topic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Focus group give information to the researcher about a given subject, which help him or her to develop the topic and build rapport. The aim of the focus group is to obtain as much information as possible that is necessary for the study and thus it is a common method for preliminary study. Time saving   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Large amount of data from a big population can be obtained within the shortest time possible (Hesse-Biber, & Leavy, 2011 p. 164). Data is collected from groups of respondents at the same time. This is in contrary to interviews where the questions are asked to a single respondent for a given time and it may take a lot of time to cover a given number of respondents as opposed to focus groups. Accurate data:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The discussion involves the consensus among the group members. In case of diverse information, members agree on given information that giving accurate and homogeneous data The data is also specific on the researchers’ topic. Economical:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Huge data can be summarized using group consensus and thus data entry and analysis is cheap and time saving as opposed to interviews where huge amount is obtained from very large number of respondents Observations:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Just like interviews, the researcher can get additional data from the participants’ behaviour, feelings and thought about the topic. In addition, focus group helps to generate information for a study that could have unobservable features. Cons of focus group Biasness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The moderator of the group or the researcher makes the final judgment and interpretation of the discussion. Subjective judgment and poor interpretation has high risk of introducing personal businesses in the discussion and thus biased data. The participants may tend to follow the initial opinions thus resulting in biased results Risk of incomplete and inaccurate data   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The planning, scheduling and contacting participants may be costly and involving and thus poor management may result to incomplete study that may affect the quality of data collected. Sensitive information   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is not a good method for addressing sensitive issues. This is because people may feel uneasy sharing sensitive information among their friends or enemies that might be in the group, which may have a negative contributory factor to the quality of data obtained. Addressing the interview cons Time consuming   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of alternative means of communication such as telephone and computer can decrease the time spent in scheduling and visiting the respondents. Therefore, avoiding face-to-face interviews can help to save time and making the method more economical. Time that could be spent to travel to respondent and carry physical interview is minimised. Planning should also be done prior to the study in order to avoid time wasting during the actual study. Costly   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Activities such as data entry and analysis can be carried along with the interviews to ensure that no additional cost that is incurred during independent data entry. Minimised travelling through phone interviews would cut down on cost. Biasness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Presentable physical appearance should be encouraged. The physical appearance of the interviewer that would not have influence on respondents should be emphasized during training. Interviewers should be discouraged from making subjective judgments that would affect the interactions. Inconsistencies:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The interview should be conducted in a neutral environment that has no effect on information delivery. The researcher should spend a considerable good amount of time in looking for a natural setting for the interview conducive for the respondents (Merriam, & Merriam, 2009 p. 17). For example, interviews in closed rooms may have minimal interference, thus maintain consistence information delivery, and thus maintain high quality data. Addressing focus group cons Biasness:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to avoid biasness, the moderator of the focus group should be well trained about making subjective judgment and interpretations. Good relationship between respondents and the researcher promotes mutual understanding that contributes to accurate interpretations of the information (Marshall, & Rossman, 2011 p. 101). The moderator should not be an active part of the study and should be limited to the information on the expected result of the study. Risk of incomplete and inaccurate data:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Proper management should be done prior to the study so that all the scheduling and contacting of the participants is made in time. This will ensure that the participants are aware of the scope of the study and their roles and thus the study will be complete successfully. When participants are well-prepared psychologically, they become patient and go through the whole process thus giving complete data. Sensitive information   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The moderator should inform the participants about the confidentiality of the information shared in the focus group and create a friendly environment. This will give the participants confidence and freedom to share all the information that they may have including the sensitive one and thus the quality of the data will not be compromised. Participants may feel that some issues belong to the community and that it should not be addressed to a stranger. The researcher may also involve people from the communities to help them moderate the discussion and thus creating favourable environment for discussing sensitive information that is vital to the final data. References Creswell, J. W. (2014).  Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications. DiCicco†Bloom, B., & Crabtree, B. F. 2006. The qualitative research interview.Medical education,  40(4), 314-321. Flick, U. 2009. An introduction to qualitative research. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. Hesse-Biber, S. N., & Leavy, P. (2011).  The practice of qualitative research. Los Angeles: SAGE. Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2011). Designing qualitative research. Los Angeles: Sage. Merriam, S. B., & Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. 2012. Research methods for business students. Pearson Seidman, I. 2013.  Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. New York: Teachers College Press Siegel, J. S., & Olshansky, S. J. 2012.  The demography and epidemiology of human health and aging. Dordrecht: Springer. Sprenkle, D. H., & Piercy, F. P. 2005.  Research methods in family therapy. New York: Guilford Press. Zikmund, W. G. 2013.  Business research methods. Mason, OH: South-Western. Source document

“Kindred” by Octavia Butler -Analysis Essay

There are various connections that can be made between the characters within the novel â€Å"Kindred† written by Octavia Butler. The majority of these connections relate to four of the course themes we’ve visited in past few weeks: double consciousness, collective trauma, diaspora, and power relationships. The protagonist, Dana Franklin, traveled between the past and present and in her travels she met a variety of different people, including the enslaved African Americans and their White owners of the 19th century, as well as her ancestors, one in particular is the cause of her time travel. Alice Greenwood and Rufus Weylin both had a peculiar relationship with Dana, as well as with each other. The ties that Dana shared with Alice exemplified the themes of double consciousness and collective trauma, and the ties shared between Dana and Rufus demonstrated the themes of diaspora and power relationships. Alice and Dana had a sisterly relationship, as some of the other characters had commented, Sarah once told Dana after Alice’s passing, â€Å"You and her was like sisters†¦ You sure fought like sisters, always fussin’ at each other, stompin’ away from each other, comin’ back.† Although a brief description, this is a very accurate summary of their relationship. Their double consciousness was first realized when Rufus had pointed out that they were both â€Å"one and the same†, this meaning that they were two halves of the same person. Not only did they look alike, but the line between their roles in the Weylin household were heavily blurred. Alice was the â€Å"love† interest of Rufus while she was alive, although her only use to him was to either sexually abuse her or use her as his personal punching bag. She had once told Dana that whenever she’s around, the mental and physical abuse isn’t as bad as it regularly is. On the other hand, Dana has an immense amount of freedom in comparison to Alice, even to the other slaves. Due to the unspoken set of rules that Dana and Rufus share, he doesn’t try to pursue any sexual relationship with her until the end of the book. As Dana had once said, â€Å"I could accept him as my ancestor, younger brother, friend, but not as my master, and not as my lover.† Alice is openly  spiteful towards Dana because of this, but it is also obvious that the reason why she always comes back to Dana is because, like a sibling, she is used as an outlet for her pain, fear, and hate, and knowing that she could have done more to lesson Alice’s suffering, Dana allows puts her feelings aside and accepts the onslaught of abuse. Both of their relationships with Rufus also lead to their collective trauma as they are both abused by him, and, in different ways, he takes something from them that leave them unwhole. For Alice, he not only rips her freedom from out under her, but he also â€Å"sells† their children, which were the only reasons that she had stayed on the plantation for so long. For Dana, he too took her freedom and the power that she once held over him had vanished completely, but it’s possible that he is also the reason that she there was a short stump in the place of her arm. The relationship that was shared between Dana and Rufus was the most complex relationship of them all. A list of unspoken rules shared between the two had been the foundation of their relationship, as they had both known that one could not live without the other, that if either one of them died, the other is just as good as dead as well. Ever since Dana had first saved Rufus from drowning in the river, she had attempted to instill some morals into the young boy in hopes that he wouldn’t be as corrupt as his father or the other slave owners, as she knew that that was what he would soon become. Although, with each time that she returns to save the boy’s life, he grows older, and he becomes more mature as well as stubborn, not as easily goaded into doing nice things for the slaves, like setting most of them free, or not selling any of them as his father does. Eventually, the reigns of power are no longer held by Dana, and the influence of the 19th century has finally rubbe d off on Rufus for the worse. No longer small and feeble, Rufus has Dana sent to work in the fields, has her whipped, hits her multiple times, and eventually held the barrel of a rifle to her head, though the line is completely crossed when Rufus tries to have sex with Dana, which she responds to with the thrust of a sharp blade in his side. Twice. The scale of power begins tipped towards Dana, then towards Rufus, then for another brief moment back to Dana. Their relationship is also, in a way, diasporic, as Dana is constantly out of  place in the 19th century throughout the entire book. She brings back with her the knowledge of the future, though sparse, as well as new medicines, devices, and ideas, though because of her skin color she is seen as no more than either a â€Å"smart nigger† to the white folks and a â€Å"white nigger† to the blacks; nothing more than a nigger. Even though she wasn’t accepted by most of the other slaves and the whites who held power over her, Rufus, still needed her in many different ways and was very clingy at times, even as he gave his last long and shuddering sigh, he simply could not let go of Dana, both literally and physically, as his hand still grasped her arm in the afterlife. When Dana arrives from the past for the last time, she discovers -excruciatingly painfully- that her arm had somehow meshed and conjoined with the wall of her living room. The exact spot where Rufus had held her in his final moments marked the loss of her arm, â€Å"from the elbow to the ends of the fingers,† It is unknown whether or not Dana’s arm is left in the past, still held between the cold fingers of the dead, as Rufus’ body was believed to be burned to ashes and never found, along with the Weylin estate. Dana’s graphic physical loss shows what slavery truly is outside of popular novels, history books, and dramatized television where the actors practice the pain and suffering that their ancestors dealt with. The loss of her arm shows many different things, like how even though African Americans today have been removed from slavery over time, who they are today was planted and rooted in the past. Also, slaves had constantly suffered from both emotion al and physical abuse at the hands of their owners, yet they were extremely dependent of their owners. Dana is subjected to horrific pain at the hand of Rufus, yet she still feels pity for him when he comes crawling back to her, as he is both her master and her kin-dred, so she alternates between despising him and feeling empathetic towards him. Lastly, Dana’s severed arm is a horrible loss, and it is meant to capture the horror of slavery. It is also significant that she suffers her injury because Rufus hangs on to her. Like Rufus holding onto Dana, the past has a â€Å"hold† on the present, the sacrifices of the past shape the present today. Dana loses an arm which is an important body part, especially for a writer, although she escapes with her life. The slaves of the past had sacrificed skin, bone, and sanity, yet  a lot of them escaped, albeit scarred. Dana’s horrific injury makes all of the sacrifices slaves made painfully real in order to make lives better for generations to come. Part of her lies in the past, and so does part of todays’ generation. In conclusion, the strange relationships that Dana had formed with her ancestors, Alice and Rufus, had in some ways, led to the loss of her arm. Her entire existence was dependent on the two of them having her great grandmother Hagar, and although Alice may have survived without Dana’s influence, Rufus was definitely dependent on Dana as well. Octavia Butler had wanted readers to take with them the reality of how we ar e still deeply rooted within slavery and it still has an affect on us today, even though it had ended over 140 years ago. As Dana had witnessed first hand, slavery has never been a free occurrence, anyone who was apart of it in any way never came out of it as they once were before; they never escaped slavery whole again, but as less of the person than they were before.

Complete Guide on Writing Your Art Research Paper as Required by the Strictest Instructors

Complete Guide on Writing Your Art Research Paper as Required by the Strictest Instructors A full understanding of how to complete a solid art research paper will help you attain the good results in this intellectual activity. In general, all the college undergraduates majoring in Fine Arts, Performing Arts or Art History are required to have the particular knowledge in writing some different academic assignments essays, reviews, analyses, research papers, etc. The strong research, critical and writing skills always help students complete their projects on various topics related to such a discipline as Art. Since this discipline is a broad field of study, it involves a significant number of categories that might be discussed in the research papers. As a result, students that have a great passion for the arts often face some challenges in selecting a good research topic they would like to cover on. The list of the interesting topics for the research papers may include the history of art, the art of different nations and peoples, the difference between the artistic movement s, styles, or figures, and the other issues. It is a high time to provide the detailed description of a well-written research paper. What is it? In general, it denotes that you need to do scientific writing on a particular topic. As opposed to an essay assignment, research paper writing is the task that is usually given to the students at higher academic levels colleges and universities. The structure of a good research paper should include some important elements like: the definition of the issue examined in a research paper Introduction; the description of different studies related to this issue Literature Review; the presentation of research methods used to explore this issue Methodology, etc. In the process of writing this academic assignment, it is important to provide some interesting materials that could be useful for further studies regarding any given topic. Whereas an essay is mostly built on your knowledge of a particular problem, a research paper includes not only your thoughts but also the academic publications that provide the additional information regarding the research topic. It is common knowledge that every writing assignment should have a specific purpose. Taking into consideration the discipline of Art, the main purpose of your research paper is to provide the readers with a detailed description and analysis of the issue mentioned in the title of the paper. Select a Topic for Your Art Research Paper A right choice of a topic of your further research can be regarded as the main factor that improves your chances to write a well-structured research paper of high quality. While selecting a topic for your paper, you should take into account two aspects of it. On the one hand, it is important to have the particular knowledge regarding the topic you want to research. On the other hand, if your knowledge leaves something to be desired, you should have at least a great interest in studying this issue as well as in searching for the additional materials related to the topic of the research paper. At the very beginning, students are recommended to choose a specific topic on the Art. Then, they should narrow down it to the most interesting side of the investigation that will engage college undergraduates in completing academic research projects. Firstly, since Art is considered to be a broad subject field, you should identify the activities of the arts that kindle your strong interest as well as your careful attention. Such activities may involve painting, music, dancing, architecture, sculpture, and different performing arts. In most cases, students are more likely to select research topics related to the fields of music and painting. Regarding the issue of music, you may research the impact of the particular music genre on the development of the society in a selected country. One of the greatest examples of such art research paper is entitled as â€Å"The Impact of Jazz on the Development of the American Culture†. As for the field of painting, the majority of modern students chooses topics that are related to the prominent artists’ creative legacy or the differences between the art styles. For instance, if you are interested in this field of art, you can write a research paper comparing the painting technique s of Leonardo Da Vinci and Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. 5 Top Art Research Papers Topics Our Writers Advise The Effects of Painting on the Development of Ancient Civilization Societies; What Changes Occurred in the World of Art as the Result of the Renaissance Period? Top Differences Between the Art Forms Existed in the USA and European Countries; The Analysis of the Musical Compositions Applied in the Shakespearean Tragedies; The Development of Piano Music in the Cultural Revolution. 5 Pre-Writing Techniques to Start a Good Art Research Paper After the process of selecting a topic, you need to pass through the prewriting stage. Follow some effective pre-writing tips that bring some great benefits to you. Firstly, you start writing your research paper. Secondly, you start writing it as many experienced research writers do. That way, you maximize your chances to submit a well-researched/structured academic paper. When you are done with choosing the topic of your interest, it would be a great idea to brainstorm the different research ideas that can be included in your art paper. Make a list of keywords. Since it is the art research paper, use some art terms, artistic concepts, etc. Find credible information sources that are related to the issue in question. Make the well-organized notes regarding the topic of your research paper. It’s up to you what methods of note-taking to use. But still, take notes as many as possible to simplify the writing process. Before beginning to write a research paper, you should develop the outline that will help you finish the paper considerably faster. How to Structure and Organize Your Art Research Paper Write an Abstract for an Art Research Paper First of all, an abstract is an essential element of the research paper structure that you shouldn’t forget to include. In simple terms, this element is considered to be a summary of the content discussed in the research paper. You can be asked to write an abstract of two types. In most cases, an abstract is an informative part of a research paper that is written by a researcher after writing the entire paper. Usually, this section contains from 300 to 500 words that reflect the important points related to the research paper. In accordance with the structure of the abstract, this part of the academic assignment should include 4 main elements that are essential for writing a perfect art research paper abstract: A comprehensive and inclusive description of the research problem in question; The framework of a research paper. In this case, it is needed to analyze the structure of your art research paper and explain the use of theoretical, methodological, and historical basis of the writing; A brief description of the main arguments provided in a research paper; A concise summary of the paper’s findings/results. Another type of the text summary is a descriptive abstract. Usually, it contains less than 150 words. The main purpose of this structural element is to provide the readers with a brief description of the research paper. Write an Outline to Know How to Structure Your Research Paper First of all, it should be mentioned that an outline is a good way to represent the overview of the content in any written work. It can be used as a separate assignment and a pre-writing tool to organize the whole research project. In fact, developing an outline provides you with a general framework within which you need to work to write well-structured art research papers. We can provide you with the important details of an outline using the art history research paper for the illustrative purposes. In this case, the topic of the potential research paper is â€Å"The Impact of Ancient Egyptian Art on the Modern Society’s Perception of Art†. Since it is required to write a basic outline that will consist of 3 major parts an introduction, main body, and conclusion. While writing an outline, you should not provide the detailed description of all the points you are going to mention in your paper. In fact, you need to depict the concise and clear arguments that will define the scope of your art research paper writing. In the introduction, which is the opening part of your assignment, it is critical to introduce an effective thesis statement related to the topic that will be discussed in your art research paper. In this case, you can write the following thesis statement, â€Å"The Ancient Egyptian culture has a significant impact on modern society and enjoys great popularity up to this day. The reasons for this impactful influence include the beauty and uniqueness of their art and the development of crafting that can be regarded as the art movement as well.† In the main body, it is recommended to provide no less than three different arguments that support your thesis statement. The strongest argument mentioned in the research paper should be the final point that proves the accuracy of the paper’s focus. In the last paragraph, which is regarded as a conclusion, you are required to summarize all the points mentioned in the paper. In addition, in this part of the outline, you have to reiterate the thesis statement as well as your major findings of this research paper. 3 Main Parts Included in the Basic Structure of a Research Paper The title page of the research paper is the first point the readers pay attention to. Using the effective heading, you have more chances to explain what issue will be considered in the paper. In the case, don’t neglect the use of keywords that are essential for your research topic. All of them should be included on the front page. As an example of relevant keywords used in the title of an art research paper, we can offer the following one â€Å"The Impact of the Ancient Egyptian Culture on the Modern Society’s Perception of Art†. All the main points that will be presented in a research paper on Art have been already given in the title. And it is a correct way of dealing with any type of writing. In general, the structure of the art research paper should include an introduction, the main body with at least three main parts, and a conclusion. The introductory paragraph always provides the readers with the overall view of the issue discussed in the paper. Apart from the background knowledge regarding the topic, the introduction should include the effective thesis statement. Since our topic is related to the culture of the Ancient Egyptians, in this paragraph, we should introduce it to the full extent. Regarding the main body parts, each of them should present a separate argument related to the topic. What is more, the body paragraphs always begin with a topic sentence. In the art research paper, we can provide three main arguments that include the notion of the obelisk and its impact on the modern European culture, the popularity of the Egyptian hieroglyphics, and the increased tendency of the nineteenth century to use the Egyptian themes in the fields of art and architecture. All the arguments should be supported by the evidence taken from the credible academic sources. The last two sections of this research paper include a conclusion and the list of references. In the concluded paragraph, you should summarize the main points mentioned in the paper. If you want to write a good art research paper, you should remember that all the sections should be correlated regarding the content as well as the logical sequence of the research ideas. 3 Post-Writing Steps That Polish Your Research Paper 1. Take into Consideration Some General Aspects of Good Writing Before you start proofreading the art research paper thoroughly every sentence, make sure that all the large aspects of this writing assignment are revised accordingly. What are these large aspects? Check for: The whole organization of the academic paper. Is the research paper content coherent? The development of the paper sections and paragraphs. Are the logically completed? 2. Proofread a Research Paper like a Real Pro In the process of proofreading the completed research paper, real experts proofread the text in both the print-out and computer screen versions. In favor of the latter, every student can say, â€Å"I always choose any online tool to edit my paper†. However, all experienced research paper writers, who have already written a significant number of different college writing assignments, are knowledgeable of the effectiveness of using both ways of proofreading papers. You can use some useful computer functions that allow them to identify some small grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. So using some available programs on the Internet, which are known as the computer spelling checkers, you have the opportunity to examine the accuracy of the text only. Print out your research paper as the human brain and eyes are capable of following the flow of ideas expressed on paper. While looking through a printing out paper, you can use a blank sheet of paper or ruler aimed at covering the whole text located below the string that you began to read out every sentence. 3. Edit a Paper According to the Formatting Style Needed In general, an academic style is characterized by an objective, consistent way of writing. It is ensured by adhering to a basic format. Don’t forget to check what formatting style you are required to stick to (APA, MLA, Harvard, etc.) But if you aren’t given an instruction on what style to use and you doubt, consider the main difference between two basic formats, APA and MLA: Whereas APA (American Psychological Association) format is used in such fields as Social Sciences to which Psychology, Sociology, Nursing, Business Studies belong, MLA (Modern Language Association) refers to writing in the Humanities such as Literature and Languages, History, Philosophy, the Arts, or Religion. Find your field of study in the MLA guidelines? Don’t hesitate to look through all the headings/subheadings, citations, references, and so on. Besides, it is highly recommended to check the issues of spacing and indentations that should be the same in every paragraph of the paper. However, academic writing leaves open the possibility to write in any possible format. And every formatting style has its specific rules the details of which can be easily found on the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) website. Needless to say, research paper writing on any subject is quite time-consuming. Do this, do that†¦ What is more, do it excellently. Otherwise, you risk losing some marks for the poor quality of research or the occurrence of some grammar mistakes. The last but not least useful advice is to ask someone who knows all the angles of academic writing to examine your art research paper carefully in the attempt to find the inaccuracies that you might have skipped. Do it before a paper submission date.

Early Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia

Early Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia We can only speculate about early religion. When the ancient cave painters drew animals on the walls of their caves, this may have been part of a belief in the magic of animism. By painting the animal, the animal would appear; by painting it speared, success in the hunt might be guaranteed. Neanderthals buried their dead with objects, presumably so they could be used in the afterlife. By the time mankind was banding together in cities or city-states, structures for the gods- like temples- dominated the landscape. Four Creator Gods Ancient Mesopotamians attributed the forces of nature to the workings of divine forces. Since there are many forces of nature, so there were many gods and goddesses, including four creator gods. These four creator gods, unlike the Judaeo-Christian concept of God, were NOT there from the beginning. The forces of Taimat and Abzu, who had emerged from a primordial chaos of water, created them. This isnt unique to Mesopotamia; the ancient Greek creation story also tells of primordial beings who emerged from Chaos. The highest of the four creator gods was the sky-god An, the over-arching bowl of heaven.Next came Enlil who could either produce raging storms or act to help man.Nin-khursag was the earth goddess.The fourth god was Enki, the water god and patron of wisdom. These four Mesopotamian gods did not act alone, but consulted with an assembly of 50, which is called the Annunaki. Innumerable spirits and demons shared the world with the Annunaki.​ How the Gods Helped Mankind The gods bound people together in their social groups and were believed to have provided what they needed to survive. The Sumerians developed stories and festivals to explain and harness help for their physical environment. Once a year came the new year and with it, the Sumerians thought the gods decided what would happen to mankind for the coming year. Priests Otherwise, the gods and goddesses were more concerned with their own feasting, drinking, fighting, and arguing. But they could be prevailed upon to help on occasion if ceremonies were performed to their liking. The priests were responsible for the sacrifices and rituals that were essential for the help of the gods. In addition, property belonged to the gods, so priests administered it. This made the priests valuable and important figures in their communities. And so, the priestly class developed.

Financial service-Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial service-Banking - Essay Example The U.S and European market had enjoyed a lot of freedom thanks to deregulation and privatization in the financial industry. However, this trend was to be detrimental a decade later. According to Anne Khademian the government’s efforts to manage the financial crisis has been monumental (841). She continues to add that the congress made major reforms in the financial industry. First there was the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and the Consumer Protection Act. These acts were aimed at regulating the unregulated financial industry, which had crippled the economy. This was an attempt by the government to reverse the actions of subprime lenders and investors, financial market intermediaries and credit rating agencies. Due to the unregulated nature of the financial and banking industry financial institutions were offering high interest rate mortgages. In sub-prime lending, banks were lending out higher interest rates to their customers without considering the risk of default rates of their customers. The banks were also fast to approve the loans because of the high interest rates charged on the loans. During the financial crisis, at least four million people faced foreclosure due to their inability to pay loans. Consequently the banks were late in receiving their payments and meeting their credit obligations. The government had to step in and bail out the banks in an attempt to end the financial crisis. The U.S treasury and E.U commission pumped in billions of dollars and Euros to the banks in order to save them from liquidity. The government plays an important role when it comes to stabilizing the economy. This is achieved by either lowering or increasing the lending bank rates. In the journal article, the author says, â€Å"the response to the crisis caused by too much debt and interest rates manipulated interest rates too low† (Khademian, 842). During the financial crisis, the government lowered the interests lending rates to